Volunteers Make a Difference
Hospice volunteers are essential to the work we do here at Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County. Volunteers serve all of Hancock County including Ellsworth, MDI, Blue Hill, and Bucksport. Volunteers commit to volunteering 2-4 hours per week for one year. Many of our volunteers have been with us for several years to over twenty years. Volunteers join us for many reasons including personal experience, a desire to help others, to meet new and wonderful people, and most of all to make a difference. There are several ways you can become involved.
Interested in training to be a Hospice Volunteer?
Please fill out an application to get on the list for future trainings.
Call 207-667-2531 or email us at [email protected] with any questions.
Or, fill out our application and we will be in touch soon.
Office Volunteers Needed
We are currently in need of office volunteers on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you have 2 – 4 hours per week to give, we would love to hear from you! The office is open Monday – Friday, 9am -4:30pm.
Full Description
Office volunteers play a significant role in helping us serve our community. There are days when the office is busy with equipment needs and phone calls, but other days can be slower – so you might want to bring a book for those days. There are times when staff might need help with a project, entering data or making copies for an upcoming class. Every day at HVHC is different!
We are looking for those who enjoy helping others and are comfortable answering phones and being active with our equipment loaner program and are flexible about what the day might bring. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, please complete our online Volunteer Application.
Evensong Singers Director Needed-Volunteer position for Blue Hill area
We are seeking a compassionate and musically skilled Volunteer Evensong Singers Director to lead our Blue Hill group. Throughout the Blue Hill/Ellsworth area Evensong Singers bring comfort and peace through song to palliative and hospice care patients and their families, offering gentle in-home visits at any stage of illness – including final moments of life.
Full Description
The Volunteer Evensong Singers Director plays a vital role in coordinating and leading in weekly rehearsals and patient visits, ensuring the group is prepared and ready to respond when a referral comes in. This position reports to the HVHC Volunteer Coordinator and works closely with our staff to ensure high-quality, respectful, and supportive experiences for patients and families.
Qualified candidates will have a musical background with experience in choral singing and/or directing, strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to lead volunteer singers with varying skill levels. The ideal candidate will demonstrate compassion, professionalism, organization and sensitivity to the emotional, spiritual and cultural needs of hospice patients and their loved ones.
Please complete our online Application, if you are interested.
Patient Care
Patient Care Volunteers support patients on a medical hospice program or a medical palliative care program. They visit with patients in the home and or assisted living facilities. Volunteers provide companionship, respite for caregivers, and vigil support in the final hours of life. We offer special programs that include Reiki, Pet Therapy and Life Stories and are always looking for volunteers interested in these roles.
Training is a total of 20.5 hours and includes on-line and in-person education. Volunteers will learn about the philosophy of hospice, family dynamics, the dying process, spirituality at the end of life, bereavement, communication and listening skills, funerals and more.
Bereavement Volunteer
Individual Support – Bereavement volunteers provide one-on-one support to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. They listen and support individuals through the grief journey as they help them to discover other resources available. They visit in the home setting, coffee shops, or other locations that are most comfortable for the individual. (12-hour training, plus a 4-hour orientation for new volunteers)
Grief Group Co-Facilitator – Grief groups meet for 2 hours, once per week for 8 weeks. There are two volunteer co-facilitators. Volunteer leaders provide a safe, accepting setting where participants thoughts and feelings are welcome. Volunteers provide education on the grief process and related topics. (Additional 12-hour training – following the individual bereavement training)
Evensong Hospice Choir
Our Evensong Hospice Choir has two groups, Evensong East (MDI area) and Evensong West (Blue Hill area). Those interested in joining one of these groups would start by meeting with one of our Hospice Choir Directors. Evensong sings at the bedside for those patients under Hospice care who are nearing the end of life. They also sing for special events for Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County. (4-hour training)
Office Volunteer
Office volunteers answer phones, help with the medical supply loaner basement, do data entry, mailings, and other office related tasks. Volunteers spend 2-4 hours in the office, 1 day per week. (4-hour training)
Read our Volunteer Stories
Rick Andrew, HVHC Office Volunteer
Rick is a retired naval architect and shipyard planner who lives in Winter Harbor with his wife, Maureen, a retired hospice nurse, and their greyhound. A longtime science fiction reader, poet and active participant in the Schoodic Arts for All community, Rick began...
Mary Calder, Patient Care and Reiki Master Volunteer
Mary grew up on Campobello Island, one of nine in her graduating class, the daughter of a fisherman and a mother who managed the family business and later worked in a nursing home. A dual U.S-Canadian citizen since 2013, Mary devoted 47 and a half years to nursing,...
Robyn Silberstein, Patient Care Volunteer
Robyn shares a bit about how deeply she values the practice of compassionate listening and what she has learned about dying with integrity.